The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-03-19
CRUEL REVENGE.
How Bob Burdette Got Even with a Ma
Iestic but Very Impollte Gentleman.

Onc6, III lDe uclu uCdlb W. IllS plOI
less winter had drawn my good two.
handed Lecture with the Terrible Name,
and was shifting all the coasts of Penn.
sylvania with it, sparing neither pro.
nounced nyther) young or old, and
wearing at my belt the scalps of many
pale-face audience. One night ]
reached Erie the pleasant just as the
clocks in the Lord Mayors castle
struck twenty 1t was bitter, bit
ing, singing cold, and there was no
ambulance at the station, while there
was a good hotel there. went in and
registered, and a man of commanding
presence, tailor-built clothes and
brown beard of most refined culture,
followed me, and under my plebeian
scrawl made the register luminous with
his patrician cognomen. | stood lit
tie in awe of this majestic being, about
as little as l usually stand in the pres
ence of any majestic creature, and when
in a deep bass, commanding voice he
ordered room l had great mind
something that l always carry with me
when travel-to 90 out and get him
one. The gentlemanly and urbane
night clerk, who also seemed to be
deeply impressed-as is the habit of the
night clerk-with the gentleman's re-
sponsible-to-any amount toot on,
Sawmbel said he was sorry but he had
but one vacant room and it contained
but one bed, STILL" he said, as be-
came man who was bound to stand
for his house if it hadn't bed in it.,
sit was very wide bed, very wide
and quite long. Two gentlemen could
sleep in it quite comfortably, and if"
But the Commanding Being at my side
said that was quite altogether out OF
the question entirely. Quite! He was sor-
ry for the--here he looked at me, hesitat-
ed, but finally said-gentleman, but He
couldn't share His room with him. He
was sorry for the-gentleman and hop
ed he might find comfortable lodgings,
but He couldn't permit him to occupy
even a portion of His bed. Then the
clerk begged pardon, and was sorry,
and all that, but this other gentleman
had registered first, and il
was for him to say what dis
position should be made of this lonely
room and solitary bed. l FASTENED tc
assure the majestic being that it was
all right; he was welcome to two-third:
of the room, all the looking-glass and
one-half of the bed. mo" he said
very abruptly, 81 will sit here by the
stove and sleep in a chair. l thank
you, sir, but | would not sleep with my
own brother. | prefer a room to my
self" l meekly told him that l didn't
know what kind-of a man his brother
was, but no doubt he did, and there
fore | must conclude that he wasn't {
fit man to sleep with. But his brother
was out of the question, and if he
wanted part of my couch, he nigh
nave IL anu WClCOlllC, ttnu WOulu dGlC'
not to think of his brother. mo sir
he said, 81 will sleep in no mans bed.
l said / wouldn't either, if 1 WASH
sleepy, but when was sleepy, l didn'
care; I'd sleep with the King of Eng
land or the President, and wouldn'
care a cent who knew it.
/ Well, went TO bed, | curled up un
der the warm, soft blankets, and heard
the wind shrek and wall and whistle
and yell-how like all creation til,
wind can blow in Erie-and as the nigh
grew colder and colder every minute
l fell asleep and dreamed that HEAVIER
was just forty-eight miles west of Dun
kirk. About 2:90 or 3o'clock Their
came a laundering rap at the door, anC
with vague, half-waking impression
in my dream that SOMEBODY from tn,
other place was trying to get in,
said:
"What is ftp"
ut is l." answered a splendid voice
which l recognized at once. II I'M
the gentleman who came on the trsil
with YOU"
YES" 1 said land what is the mat
terP"
The splendid voice was trifle hum
bic as it replied:
"a have changed my mind abou
sleeping with another man"
80 have II" / howled, so joyousl,
that the very winds laughed in merr,
echo $50 have l! wouldn't get on
of this warm bed to open that doar 20
my own brotherm
l will close this story here. II
should write the language that wen
down that dim, cold hall outside m
door you wouldn't print it. And whe
next morning l went skipping dow
stairs as fresh as a rose, and saw tina
majestic being knOtted up in a har
arm chair, looking ahundred years Ole
said: ... .. .fr
Better is poor and wise child tina
Il 4 L Ia.